Portable tray support

ABSTRACT

This disclosure is of a portable supporting construction primarily devised for use on or in connection with beds or wheel chairs, which construction includes a single support member having a mounting device at each end, which devices include means to facilitate rotative movement of the support member into various positions, in which positions the member may be locked, the member having adjustable means thereon which will engage a tray or the like, whereby the tray may be pivoted with the member and removed when desired, the tray or the like thus being angularly positioned with respect to the area over which it is supported when in use.

United States Patent 1191 Sater 5] June 4,1974

[ PORTABLE TRAY SUPPORT [76] Inventor: Robert R. Sater, c/o A. D. MortonCo., Inc. 4495 Industrial Pkwy., Willoughby, Ohio 44094 22 Filed: Feb.16, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 226,821

[52] US. Cl. 5/332, 297/148 {51] Int. Cl A47c 22/00, A63b 23/04 [58]Field of Search 5/317, 332; 297/148, 149,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,483,920 10/1949 McLean eta1 5/332 2,555,130 5/1951 Harries 297/249 2,749,196 6/1956 Wolfe 6/332Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney, Agent, or FirmR0bb & Robb[57] ABSTRACT This disclosure is of a portable supporting constructionprimarily devised for use on or in connection with beds or wheel chairs,which construction includes a single support member having a mountingdevice at each end, which devices include means to facilitate rotativemovement of the support member into various positions, in whichpositions the member may be locked, the member having adjustable meansthereon which will engage a tray or the like, whereby the tray may bepivoted with the member and removed when desired, the tray or the likethus being angularly positioned with respect to the area over which itis supported when in use.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Pmmmm 41914 T 3.813.714

SHEEI 2 OF 2 PORTABLE TRAY SUPPORT OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is aprimary object of this invention to provide means for supporting a trayin a hospital and on a bed or other area in which a patient ispositioned, which means can provide for tilting of a tray or the likeinto various locked positions, the mechanism involving instrumentalitiesincorporated therein which will facilitate positioning and removing theentire device from the area where it is supported as conditions mayrequire.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of theclass described in which a support member is provided, and tray-likearticles supported thereon, the member having mounting devices whichengage some portion of the area over which the article is to besupported, and providing for rotative movement of the support member,whereby the tray may be locked in a series of various positions whetherhorizontal, vertical or upside down as the case may be, the locking ofthe tray in the various positions being simply effected.

A further object of the invention is to provide construction of theclass described wherein the support member is itself adjustable as tolength, is carried in a mounting device at each end which facilitatesrotation of the member, construction of the mounting devices being suchas to provide for locking the support member in various positions andyet readily facilitating adjustment of said member into those rotatingpositions, with suitable means for connecting a tray to the member andwhich are adjustable along the member so that various positions of thepatient may be taken into account Other and further objects of theinvention will be understood from a consideration of the specificationappended hereto and disclosed in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the general manner in which theconstruction hereof may be mounted and supported, in relation to ahospital bed or the like. with FIG. 2 A is a fragmentary sectional viewof one end of the construction showing the support member and mountingdevice in which the same is supported as well as means for connecting atray-like article to the mounting member.

FIG. 2 B is a similar view to connector 2 A but of the other end of thesupport member and showing a mounting device of the opposite hand orreversed, with the end of the support member engaged therewith andadditionally further portion of the means for supporting the tray-likearticle.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view partly in section taken about on the line33 of FIG. 2 A looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is fragmentary sectional view taken about the line 4-4 FIG. 2 Alooking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with a different angular relationshipof the means for connecting a traylike means to the support member.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary partly sectional view taken about on the line6-6 of FIG. 2A looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 7 is a view of a portion of the locking instrumentalities requiredin the mounting device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing one of the means for connecting atray-like means to the support member to further illustrate the mannerof positioning a tray with regard thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now initially to FIG. 1, thesupport construction of this invention is shown as the same aspositioned over a hospital bed generally designated 1 of conventionalconstruction having headboards 2 at opposite ends and pivotal side guardstructures 3 at opposite sides of the bed 1.

This invention is shown as supported on a side guard structure 3 andwith a tray 4 carried thereby, the tray 4 being in turn mounted on asupport member 5 by means of connecting means generally designated 6 atopposite sides of the tray 4, the support member 5 in turn being carriedby a mounting device such as 7 at opposite ends which engages the rail 3in each case.

For greater detail, FIGS. 2A 2B are now referred to, it beingappreciated that these when placed in alignment will provide thestructure extending transversely of the bed 1 as indicated and describedgenerally heretofore.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 2A, the support member 5 is shown ascomprising a rectangular, tubular body 8, of any preferred length, whichmay extend from side to side of the bed for example or alternatively maybe provided with an intermediate section 8a which is itself rectangular,and of the same size tubing as the body 8, having interiorly and fixedtherein, a male section 8b.

This section 8b is intended to be received within the tubular part 8 asindicated in FIG. 2A, and has a female section 8c at the opposite endwhich is indicated in FIG. 2B which is intended to receive a matingrectangular male portion 8d.

Thus by making the part 8a of any preferred length, the span of themember 5 may be varied to accommodate for different widths of beds oreven to support the construction on a wheel chair by removing section 8aas the case may be, since if the'8a is removed the male member 8d willfit within the part 8 in the same manner as the part 8b, as shown in thefigures.

For the sake of further description herein, it will be considered thatthe support member 5 is one part and extends from side to side having atopposite ends, cylindrical trunnion portions 9 and 10 fixed to themember 5 so as to be rotated thereby, as for example by welding as shownat 11 and 12 respectively.

It will thus be apparent that rotation of the member 5 may be effectedand it will rotate the parts 9 and 10 in locking devices generallydesignated 13 and 14 respectively.

It will first of all be observed that these devices are intended to beidentical but arranged in the views so as to extend in oppositedirections, having at their lower extremities U-shaped portions 15 and16 respectively.

These members 15 and 16 may engage the longitudinal rails of the sideguard members 3 as suggested in FIG. 1.

The mounting device 13 is provided at its upper end with a socket 17,the upper end of the device 14 being provided with a similar socket l8fastened thereto. These sockets .17 and 18 receive the trunnion members9 and 10 respectively.

It should be explained that the end of the body 8 of the mounting member5 extends beyond the trunnion member 9 as suggested at 9a in FIG. 2A andat a in FIG. 2B.

These respective portions 9a and 100 are adapted to engage with portionsof lock instrumentalities which include the members lg agd fll shapedalong liles indicated in FIG. 7 'wherein the interior of such' membersis formed to receive the extremity 9a fo example in several differentrotative positions and maintain the same in those positions by reason ofthe configuration of this part 19.

It will thus be understood as the disclosure of FIG. 2A reveals, themember 5 is locked in a horizontal position so to speak but can belocated and locked in the 45 position provided by the formation of thepart 19 for example.

In order to maintain the member 5 in its connected and locked position,the socket 18 is equipped with a suitable spring 21 which engages withthe end of the trunnion member 10 and around the rectangular section10a, causing the member 10 and thereby the member 5 connected therewithto be biased toward the left as viewed in FIG. 2B.

When it is desired to rotate the support member 5, said member isgrasped and forced rightwardly against the pressure of the spring 21,the end 90 being thereby withdrawn from the member 19, rotationthereafter being effected when pressure is released on member 5, spring21 will cause support member 5 to move leftwardly into locked positionsuch as shown in FIG. 2A.

While the support member 5 is constructed so as to exert spring pressureon the mounting device which are located at opposite ends for lockingand rotative positioning of such support member, it. will be noted thatthis is also operative to maintain the entire device in place on railsof guard members such as 3 for example.

In turn this will likewise facilitate removal therefrom by grasping oneor the other of the devices 13 or 14 and compressing the spring 21. Thusone of the U-shaped members 15 or 16 may be disengaged from the rail onwhich it is seated.

In order to support a tray or the like on the support member 5,connecting means in the form of saddle-like parts 23 are provided, whichas indicated in FIG. 8 are pieces of rectangular tubing suitably cut andof a size to fit over the support member 5, and permit sliding of thesame along said member.

On the upper surface of the saddle members 23 are rail parts 24, withmating rail members 25 fastened at the opposite edges of the tray 4,which will thus slide along the parts 24 and be positioned in respectthereto in locked relationship.

A suitable stop member such as 27 may be provided on one of the members25 so that the tray can only move in one direction with respect to therail parts 24.

It will be observed from the foregoing that even with the tray inposition it can be moved from side to side along the support member 5irrespective of the patients position in the bed and suitably arrangedwith respect thereto.

The tray may be removed when desired by sliding the members 25 out ofthe rails 24 and some other article substituted therefor whencircumstances may suggest this be done.

The construction hereof is also intended to be supported on any type oflongitudinal parallel or substantially parallel rails which might lendthemselves to this arrangement whether it be a hospital bed, wheel chairor similar place.

I claim:

1. In portable construction of the class described, in combination, asupport member, a tray-like means carried thereby, a mounting device ateach end of the member, said devices including means providing forrotative movement of the member, instrumentalities to lock said memberin various rotative positions and means connecting the tray-like meansto said member, said connecting means being adjustable transverselyalong the support member and interengaged therewith for rotationthereby, whereby the means will be rotated simultaneously with thesupport member.

2. Construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support member is arectangular bar, and the instrumentalities to lock the member comprise asocket in one of the devices to receive an end of said member and tolock the same in various rotative positions around said bar, means beingprovided to selectively maintain said member in one of said positions.

3. Construction as claimed in claim 2, wherein the other of said devicesincludes spring means to maintain the end of the member in a selectedposition in the said socket.

4. Construction as claimed in claim I, wherein the mounting devices areadapted to engage rails at opposite sides of a bed and the lockinstrumentalities maintain said devices in engagement with such rails.

5. Construction as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mounting devicesinclude U-shaped parts to engage such rails, and the lockinstrumentalities exert outward pressure to maintain such parts inreleasable supporting engagement with such rails.

6. Construction as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the devicesincludes inwardly directed sockets at the upper extremity to receive oneend of the support member, the lower extremity of each having anoutwardly directed U-shaped part to engage a rail at one side of a bed.

7. Construction as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support member isadjustable in length to accommodate different spacings of bed or likerails.

1. In portable construction of the class described, in combination, asupport member, a tray-like means carried thereby, a mounting device ateach end of the member, said devices including means providing forrotative movement of the member, instrumentalities to lock said memberin various rotative positions and means connecting the tray-like meansto said member, said connecting means being adjustable transverselyalong the support member and interengaged therewith for rotationthereby, whereby the means will be rotated simultaneously with thesupport member.
 2. Construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein thesupport member is a rectangular bar, and the instrumentalities to lockthe member comprise a socket in one of the devices to receive an end ofsaid member and to lock the same in various rotative positions aroundsaid bar, means being provided to selectively maintain said member inone of said positions.
 3. Construction as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe other of said devices includes spring means to maintain the end oftHe member in a selected position in the said socket.
 4. Construction asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting devices are adapted to engagerails at opposite sides of a bed and the lock instrumentalities maintainsaid devices in engagement with such rails.
 5. Construction as claimedin claim 4, wherein the mounting devices include U-shaped parts toengage such rails, and the lock instrumentalities exert outward pressureto maintain such parts in releasable supporting engagement with suchrails.
 6. Construction as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of thedevices includes inwardly directed sockets at the upper extremity toreceive one end of the support member, the lower extremity of eachhaving an outwardly directed U-shaped part to engage a rail at one sideof a bed.
 7. Construction as claimed in claim 2, wherein the supportmember is adjustable in length to accommodate different spacings of bedor like rails.